Archive for the 'Design' Category
August 18th, 2010
Years ago, I would have been impressed if I came across a commercial email with my name in the subject line. I would have felt like that email was written with me in mind, and I’d open it to find out more about it.
I won't call any names... but this brand normally sends me huge, single-image advertisements with my name set above them in text. They're personalizing their mailings, but it really doesn't seem to add any value.
Today? That’s a different story. I’m especially skeptical of any email in my inbox with my name in the subject line. I’ve seen too many spammers ‘personalize’ their content to get my attention by pasting my name (or worse, someone else’s) in the subject line or header. When I find an email advertisement in my inbox that has nothing to do with me personally—but has my name slapped across the top—it can seem even less personal… like it was an afterthought; they’re simply using my name to push an open or a click. Personalization is an old trick, but it needs to be done right.
There’s more to personalization today than simply adding in a simple name merge. Setting up a profile form, respecting my choices and sending content to me based on my subscriber history are all parts to a great marketer-subscriber relationship. To get your recipients to really listen and pay attention to you, you need to listen and pay attention to them. Great email marketing is a two-sided conversation.
Read more of “There’s More To Me Than My Name”…
August 13th, 2010
E-mail campaigns lead recipients to landing pages for a variety of reasons: to provide the customer or prospect with additional information, a video or registration for events, to get them to sign up for white papers or enter contests; or to request that they fill out a credit card form or take a survey, among other reasons.
Landing pages have some kind of mystique about them. Some e-mail marketers don’t really understand the mechanics behind how a landing page is built, so they tie up precious resources of their IT department and Web team to create landing pages for campaigns, or pay their e-mail service provider (ESP) an extra fee for a landing page creator.
There is an easier way. As marketers create e-mails for campaigns, they can use their ESP’s e-mail editor to create a separate HTML e-mail that will function as a landing page. The landing page can be stored in a content library, and an e-mail can link to the file.
Besides saving money and resources, there are many benefits to using the “e-mail as a landing page” method.
To find out the other benefits and read the rest of the BtoB article, click here.
For more information on landing pages, check out these other Delivra blog posts:
Make Your Own Landing Pages
Successful Landing Pages: 3 Tips
August 12th, 2010
When working with HTML in emails it is very important to know what works and doesn’t work. Below are some tips that can help make sure everything is readable and works well in different email clients.
1. Maximum recommended mailing “weight” is 50kb, which includes the actual HTML document (10kb or less is ideal) to be delivered and all referenced images (40kb or less). Minimize mailing weight as much as possible through image optimization, markup refinement, the removal of all embedded comments and indentation, etc.
Read more of “Make HTML Work for Your Emails”…
August 4th, 2010
For the past month, we’ve been running our first ever Extreme Email Makeover Contest. Well, today is the day that the winner is finally announced; actually, because of such a great lineup of entries, Delivra has chosen to award two participants an extreme email makeover. So, this is the day the winners are announced.
Read more of “Delivra Announces Two Extreme Email Makeover Winners”…
July 27th, 2010
The John Caples International Awards honors the best in direct and interactive marketing around the world. It was founded in 1978 by Andi Emerson, a direct marketing pioneer, in order to honor well-recognized copywriter John Caples.
The Awards are open to any agency, client or individual involved in direct marketing and relationship marketing communication throughout the world.
For more information on the details of entering and what category may be the best fit, please click here!
July 23rd, 2010
For those of us that have not been hiding under a rock, you’ve probably witnessed the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, where Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Ron White (my personal favorite), and Larry the Cable Guy put on a comedy act that has entertained the masses. One of the more infamous segments of their act is the “You might be a redneck if…” piece.
If you have, you’ll recognize my spin off: You might need an email makeover if…
July 21st, 2010
It’s very important to use design elements – such as color, art, logos, etc. – to make visual connection between your Web site and your e-mail. When you sign up e-mail list members on your Web site, you want the e-mail to be an extension of the site that your customers recognize. If there is a disconnect because the e-mail doesn’t look like the Web site, your subscribers may think your e-mail is spam.
Conversely, when you send out e-mails with a call to action that takes recipients back to a landing page, you don’t want to confuse those readers by sending them to a Web site that doesn’t look like the company you portray in your e-mail.
To read more of the BtoB Magazine article, Should my e-mail design match my Web site?, click here!
If you could use some guidance in figuring out the best way to make your e-mail design look more like your Web site, then call Delivra today at 866-915-9465 . We’re here to help and look forward to assisting you in your email marketing efforts!
Carissa Newton | Director of Marketing
July 16th, 2010
In yesterday’s blog post, we introduced the non-profit winner of the Infuse Initiative business grant. Today, we’re going to introduce this year’s small business winner – Professional Conventions & Meetings (ProCaM).
Read more of “Delivra to Provide Email Marketing Services to Professional Conventions & Meetings”…
July 15th, 2010
In an earlier blog post, we announced the winners of the Infuse Initiative, a business grant program. In the next couple of blog posts, we’d like to take the time to introduce the winners in more detail for those of you interested in learning more about them!
Read more of “Delivra to Provide Email Marketing Services to Indianapolis Early Learning Center”…
July 8th, 2010
If you’ve done any research on email best practices, you’ve read about a lot of rules and guidelines. For any beginning email marketer this is a must. After getting to know your recipients, learning the basics, and knowing which rules can and which rules cannot be bent, it may be time to start experimenting. Track your data closely along the way and make notes on what works for you and what doesn’t. Good designers experiment in breaking the rules; great designers have the experience to know which rules to break.
Read more of “Not Everything is Set in Stone”…
